Tall for his age, the good-looking, blond-haired, blue-eyed lad had an eye for the working girls who frequented London’s docks, and he inevitably attracted their attention. He was still inexperienced in matters of the opposite sex, but he vowed he’d do something about that in the next little while.
That’s how I introduce Nicholas Young (above) in an early chapter of my historical adventure New Zealand: A Novel. The 17-year-old medical student is about to be recruited to serve as Surgeon’s Assistant aboard a vessel called the Endeavour.
Excerpt continues:
Early in his first summer in London he struck up a conversation with a Mister Wilkie, the recruiting officer for a vessel called the Endeavour. Wilkie, a short, bald, engaging character with a twinkle in his eye, told him he was charged with the recruitment of crew members for a voyage of discovery.
Nicholas was intrigued – even more so when he learned where His Majesty’s bark, the Endeavour, was going.
“She sets sail soon for Tahiti and on to the bottom of the world,” Wilkie confided. He spoke in that distinctive rural drawl, which identified him as a native of Devon. When pressed for more information by the eager boy, Wilkie said, “The Lords of the Admiralty want us to look for Terra Australis Incognita.”
Nicholas’ brow creased uncomprehendingly.
“The Great Southern Continent,” the recruiting officer explained, warming to his subject.
“You mean New Holland?” Nicholas asked, referring to the newly-discovered continent that would one day be referred to as Australia. He’d overheard chatter about New Holland amongst Jack Tars in the taverns.
“Nay, lad. Our Admiralty and the learned gentlemen of the Royal Society have long held the belief there is a vast tract of land, a veritable continent, far to the east of New Holland and the known world. They want it found, explored and claimed for Mother England.”
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To celebrate the acceptance of New Zealand: A Novel into Waterstones UK & Europe bookstores, the book’s Kindle version will be FREE on Amazon March 15-17 PDT.
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Morcan Books & Films 